Wonder Woman (1975)

"In your satin tights, fighting for your rights!" Backed by a catchy, memorable theme song, 924068.html" class="autolink" >Wonder Woman became the first (and still only) hit primetime series based around a female comic book character and in the process, helped solidify Wonder Woman as the most recognizable female superhero in the world.

There had been two previous attempts to bring Wonder Woman to TV, including a five-minute 1967 short used as a selling tool, and a 1974 TV-movie starring Cathy Lee Crosby as a blond Wonder Woman (facing off against Ricardo Montalban!), wearing a completely different costume than fans are familiar with. But it was the 1975 version, played by Lynda Carter, that made a lasting impression. The former beauty queen was physically spot on to play Amazon queen Princess Diana - much like Christopher Reeve and Superman, Carter continues to be the image of Wonder Woman most think of when the character is evoked.

The first season of the show was set in World War II, with Wonder Woman frequently battling Nazis, while Season 2 and 3 moved the series to a contemporary setting and amusingly had lead actor Lyle Waggoner go from playing Steve Trevor to Steve Trevor Jr. Viewed now, Wonder Woman is very much of its era with a similar tone and style as other action series of the era, like Bionic Woman, which is to say, it's pretty dated. But one thing that's not dated? Lynda Carter looking awesome in that costume.

Shazam! (1974)

Completely silly by today's standards, Shazam! was pretty cool if you were a little kid in the mid-'70s. Airing on Saturday mornings, the show followed Billy Batson (played by Michael Gray as an older teenager than the kid he is in the comics), traveling in an RV - with a mentor awkwardly named... Mentor (Les Tremayne). Like other series of this era, such as The Incredible Hulk, Captain Marvel, despite his powers, didn't face supervillains, but rather helped people dealing with more run of the mill thugs and criminals.

The show only ran 28 episodes, but had two different Captain Marvels during its short run - Jackson Bostwick and John Davey. After its first season, Shazam was paired up with another show, which you can read about in our next entry.

The Secret of Isis (1975)

Including this show and character on this list is a bit of a cheat, as Isis was, at the time, created specifically for TV. However, in a move that would later be repeated with animated DC TV character Harley Quinn (and Firestar for Marvel), she would eventually be incorporated into DC Comics. This series, specifically launched as a companion to Shazam!, focused on a high school teacher (JoAnna Cameron) who could become a superhero, with the powers of the Egyptian goddess, Isis.

There were several crossovers between The Secrets of Isis and Shazam! - and Isis was similarly corny, like its "parent" show, quality-wise. However, like Shazam!, it provided a lot of Saturday morning entertainment for kids.

Eventually, Isis was introduced into the Shazam! DC comic books and in recent years, 52 brought a new, post-Crisis version of Isis into DC -- and while she has become a darker character, she still has ties to Captain Marvel and several nods to her TV show roots, from her alter-ego (Adrianna Tomaz, taken from the TV show's Andrea Thomas) to costume details, like her belt and headpiece. An episode of Smallville would feature a more villainous version of Isis, possessing Lois Lane. When DC Comics rebooted again with the New 52 (they do love that number!), Adrianna was re-introduced, with hints she could eventually become superpowered.

Legends of the Superheroes (1979)

If you didn't like the campy DC adaptations that preceded it, you might well implode when watching this. Batman's Adam West and Burt Ward donned the tights one last time for this bizarre pseudo-variety show, which does for the DC heroes what The Star Wars Holiday Special did for that franchise. And yes, that means horror beyond imagination.

Batman and Robin are joined by a large group of other DC heroes and villains here, for what could be seen as the first-ever live-action incarnation of the Justice League. Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Huntress, The Flash, The Atom and Black Canary all got their live-action debuts, joining Captain Marvel (played by the third actor in a decade to portray that character).

But don't get excited, because Legends of the Superheroes, which only aired two episodes, is truly, mind-numbingly awful. It's all played as broad, pun-filled comedy and not a lick of it works. There's one groaner after another, and seeing West, Ward (way too old to be playing "The Boy Wonder") and Frank Gorshin (back as the Riddler) doing such terrible material, it only elevates the legitimately funny '60s Batman series they appeared in more.

The first episode is at least watchable in a train wreck sense, as the heroes go outside and into action to try to stop a team of villains -- including Riddler, Solomon Grundy and Sinestro -- from their plan to blow up the entire world a plan which the villains don't seem to have thought through, all things considered.

The second episode is even worse and watching it may cause harm to your soul. The episode is all contained on the shoddy set of the show, with a seemingly never-ending superhero roast, featuring Ed McMahon as MC. I only wish we were making this up.

How bad is this show? Well, there's a black superhero featured on the second episode, who goes by the name of Ghetto Man. Yes, really. Bad, stupid and offensive! It's a superhero trifecta!

Superboy (1988)

The last Superman-related project to be produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind, the team behind the Christopher Reeve Superman films and the spinoff Supergirl movie, this series focused on Clark Kent as a college student living in Florida -- a setting dictated by the series being shot there and no one wanting to bother to hide that fact. As the title implies, unlike Smallville, this young Clark is already wearing a costume and has his full secret identity, albeit with the "Boy" moniker.

Only Stacy Haiduk as Lana Lang was a constant on the series, as both Lex Luthor and Superboy himself went through cast changes, with original Luthor and Superboy actors Scott Wells and John Haymes Newton replaced in the second season by Sherman Howard and Gerard Christopher. Not exactly stirring drama, the show did at least amuse fans by introducing the first live-action incarnations of Superman comic book villains like Metallo, Bizarro and Mxyzptlk. Also, in a silly but fun nod to pre-Crisis Superman comic book continuity, Superboy is accidentally responsible for the loss of Lex Luthor's hair, inciting Luthor's eternal hatred.

The Flash (1990)

In 1989, everything changed for superhero adaptations with the release of Tim Burton's Batman movie. By taking a character best known to a mainstream audience as a campy figure and putting him into a dark, gothic setting -- and then becoming a huge hit -- Batman let Hollywood studios see that you could portray comic book characters in a less comedic way and find major success.

The Flash TV series was obviously influenced by Batman - complete with a great Danny Elfman main theme and a muscle-shaped costume (designed by Stan Winston studios). It had its flaws, and a fair share of clunky dialogue, but when it came to portraying superheroes on TV, The Flash was a breath of fresh air -the first series centering on a DC character to actually feel like the comics that begat it. The likable John Wesley Shipp played Barry Allen / The Flash, and in its 22-episode run, the series included a couple of big Flash comic book characters, such as Captain Cold and The Trickster; the latter played by Mark Hamill in a role that foreshadowed his iconic work as The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series.

Featuring strong production design and (for the time) state of the art FX to portray Flash's speed powers, The Flash was well received by comic fans but sadly, short lived. However, the show struck a chord for plenty of comic book fans growing up - including the producers of Arrow and the new CW version of The Flash, who have cast both Shipp and his costar Amanda Pays on the new series.

Swamp Thing (1990)

In theory, this TV series was meant to be more serious than the two Swamp Thing movies that preceded it, especially the very campy Return of Swamp Thing. Stuntman and actor Dick Durock reprised his role from the films as the title character, constantly battling against the nefarious Anton Arcane.

A success for USA (who were many years away from the era of PSYCH and Burn Notice), Swamp Thing is a bit hard to take seriously when viewed now, filled with hammy acting and cliche plotlines, along with some truly bizarre moments. But it at least was earnest and certainly has fans who look back on it with nostalgia. And Mark Lindsay Chapman was notably either terrible or awesome (or perhaps both) as Arcane, never lacking a bit of scenery he couldn't chew on.

Continue to Page 3 for multiple Human Targets, Clark Kent's long-running Small adventure and stories set in Gotham and Starling City.